Shadows and Skulls

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The Watcher
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<< thunder crashes as the spinning white light begins to shimmer out and the six find themselves standing in CENTRAL PARK at night. the air is thick with smoke and FIRE can be seen in various places within the sprawling, battle scarred park.>>

<< the skyline of the city is dark, many buildings seem to be without power, but one thing is clear, ILLUSTRA is intact.>>

<< without knowing just where/WHEN they were...again, their only logical choice is to head for Illustra, but something about the way central park looks...it seems familiar to Haleigh and Delilah. Like they'd BEEN there before on this very night. >>

<< as the group moves along, they see more signs of fights and violents. debris, remnants of soldier battle gear...with identifying markers for the..WILDpack, the strike force commanded by HELENA QUARTERMAINE, the RED QUEEN of Mystech's elite HELLFIRE CLUB. but the WILDpack had also been briefly commanded by MALICE, the WHITE QUEEN of the Hellfire Club as wellas well. still there was no signs of anyone about so they needed to move quickly to Illustra to try to gain a sense of where and when they were.>>

<< it wouldnt be so easy though, law enforcement was out in droves. there were other electrical disturbances as well, power failure being reported across the city...the STATE even. what could be going on? WHO could be behind this? there were no immediate signs of Persephone or Harbinger either....no TRACE of them in this timeline. Not a good sign, but never the less, they were here...whereever THAT was.>>
 
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It would appear that Darkchilde indeed wasn't so different from Morgan. She had let them go - that was the only way to describe it for she surely had the power to do whatever she wanted to them. As the stepping disc opens, Delilah speaks solemly to her, in very little more than a whisper.

"We'll tell her what you did here today."

Delilah nodded her appreciation, the corners of her mouth turned upwards into nearly a smile, and then they were gone.

As they were deposited into a new timeline, Delilah managed to stay on her feet this time.

"I must be getting better at this," she muttered to herself.

They were in Central Park, but not...

The focal point of peace and serenity in this city was now a charred mess. They could see Illustra, towering above the edge of the park. Something was familiar about this scenario, giving her a deja vu like feeling. Then she saw that most of the city's buildings were dark.

"There must be a blackout..." Blackout. That was it - she hadn't seen the park look like this since the night Alexis had left them for good and Alison had rained destruction down on the city in order to defeat her. But what had happened this time to cause this?

As they walked, she occasionally picked up pieces of the charred remains - a helmet, a weapon...WILDPack insignia on a burnt bit of cloth? What was going on here?
 
Alternate Central Park

<<MorningStar's suspicions were more than "on the right track". this was an alternate timeline where the events surrounding the aftermath of Spellbinder and Sharon Kelly's death took a decidedly more tragic turn. They didnt know it yet, but there would be some KEY differences.>>

<< in the mainstream timeline, during this point of the six, Nicolas was not apart of the team yet. He lived overseas and He had seen reports from CNN and from his own contacts in NYC about the tragedy of Sharon Kelly, Master Mold, but Spellbinder's death was not immediately known by the media. Alycia Barnett had went live on CNN to play a tape exposing damaging evidence against MysTech and in the months following that, Malice succeeded in ensnaring Alexis Quartermaine aka Shockwave , via a choker imbued with the essence of her evil Aunt Helena, the Red Queen of the Hellfire Club. Shockwave betrayed the Six and transformed into BLACKOUT, leaving the Six to be comprised of Black Widow, Guardian, MorningStar and Foxfire.>>

<< the team battled Malice, Blackout and a newly reconsituted WILDpack in Central Park where Malice had compelled Guardian via empathic manipulation (the only way to get around a witch's psi screen) to lose her control and wreck HAVOK across the park with a telekinetic bomb blast in her FRENZIED desire to destroy Malice.>>

<< they battled again outside of Illustra...this time Black Widow, MorningStar and Guardian wound up being CAPTURED and taken to the Citadle. Karen and Blaze went to rescue them and were confronted by Malice and the SUPER SOLDIER. Karen fought the Super Soldier and destroyed him but failed to escape the Citadle before it went into meltdown and topside, the remaining members of the Six huddled in one of MorningStar's forcefields following a harrowing battle with Malice as Blackout and Guardian faced off one last time...>>

<< the memories begin to come back full force for Haleigh AND Delilah...they saw, the FELT the final moments. the massive ballistic feedback of force and power from the standoff between the witch and the metahuman, everything around them being burned or obliterated....the final moments which saw Alison AND Alexis being hurled back and up into the air, screaming before they were lost in the armegeddon they had caused.>>

<< they remembered...SURVIVING. being rescued by Ororo. But what happened HERE? how did things turn out HERE? what had they been put into?>>

<< the surprising answers would lay in Illustra, which appeared to be affected by the black out as wwell, at least on the surface.>>
 
Darkchilde was suprisingly accomodating... Haleigh had been ready to fight it out... but apparently they'd said the right things. DC warned them against taking each other for granted.... and deposited them in Central Park. Like Delilah, Haleigh was also pleasantly surprised to be on her feet.

"Nothing like knowing a disc is coming, as opposed to just falling into one unexpectedly."

She said, looking around at the chaotic wasteland that was once a beautiful and serene oasis in the middle of a corporate battlefield. Delilah mentioned that there was a blackout.... and Haleigh immediately looked over at her, making eye contact.... they both seemed to realize the significance of 'Blackout' simultaneously. Haleigh felt a surge of anger, just THINKING about what Alexis had done to them, as Delilah picked up remnants of Wildpack gear. She focused on querying nearby computer mainframes for more information. They were a few months back in the past.... but it was difficult to tell if it was their OWN past or a slightly different alternative. Haleigh pointed at the familiar skyscraper looming darkly in the distance.

"Illustra."

She said simply.... she knew she wouldn't need to suggest they head in that direction.... it went without saying at this point.
 
Nicolas was surprised. He had expected to be done away with, that DC wold have no compassion for what had occurred. But she relented and sent them on their way, her words ringing in their ears. He would have to speak with Delilah, when the time was better, but SOON. He landed easily and looked around, noticing that they were in what seemed to be a war zone. He noticed the signs of energy discharge and devastation in the area. As Haleigh pointd out Illustra, he knew that was where they were to go, but he noticed that there was a tense police presence there also. He also noticed that they stood out a bit right now, and so he made them appear to be whatever would make the viewer not REALLY notice them. For one man, a small group of vagrants; for another, the power company coming to repair the damage.

Right now I am masking our true presence. On to Illustra it is...
 
Mike held his breath as DC answered them. He knew that she was on the ledge about this, that they weren't yet out of the wooods. He smiled broadly in spite of the overall situation once she decided to send them forward.

Whew. Dodged a six foot BULLET with THAT one...

Mike thought as they were whisked away...finding themselves in the middle of New York City. He knew where they were from his cover as Nicolas' driver, so he looked unbidden for Illustra, finding it even before Haleigh had said a word. He finally holstered his weapons and pulled back his mask and goggles, trying to look SOMEWHAT normal as he headed with the team in that direction. Luckily Nic was sending out an illusion, so he figured they should be OK as they went. But he also knew that NOTHING had yet gone as it should, so he stayed alert, ready for anything....
 
to Illustra

<< the scene all around them was that of devistation. some buildings were hollowed out. others had flames which emergency crews struggled to put out. there was chaos and panic that police were trying to contain and power in various areas was either out or intermittent. only a precious few buildings were seemingly functioning steady. Illustra seemed to be on "standby" mode, operating on emergency power by design and on HIGH security alert. Someone had put things this way. >>

<< outside, around the office park, there were signs of a pitched battle as well. remnants of black guards from mystech, WILDpack uniforms, weapons and even a large, sleek minivan with tinted windows. some metal sculptures were still "frozen" ...having been caught in the fire of Guardian's attacks apparently.>>

<< there were CLANDESTINE inc soldiers who were guardian the entrance to the underground parking structure and around the building.>>


<<it was very quiet and dark inside of Illustra as well. MORGAN'S picture hung high in the center of the crystaline lobby..but there was a black ribbon tied around it, suggestion that she must not be alive in this timeline either...another sad reality.>>

<< there were other things that Haleigh would detect, including the 99th floor still being home to Alycia's 'satellite office'. the residential floors were in tact too, with cameron's being unoccupied by still furnished. BLAZE was still with the team and MorningStar was residing in Morgan's luxury penthouse.>>

<< Haleigh would have to interface with the security system to bypass the defenses before the building began to attack them and they could get to the War Room. but as they carefully moved, they still heard/saw no one about...yet.>>
 
As they finally made it to Illustra, she could see that it was on lockdown. She felt a pang as she saw the portrait of Morgan - the same as it had been when Morgan had died in their own timeline. Whenever and wherever they were, Morgan was not going to be here to help.

But they needed to get inside and see who was in this timeline who could tell them exactly what was going on.

"You're up, Hales, work your magic and get us inside."
 
Mike walked with the otehr to Illustra, taking in the devastation. It looked more like Bosnia in the 1990s than New York in th enew century. He took in what must have been one hell of a chaotic battle, noting the isignia of the forces that fell. He kicked one insignia from a fallen weapon.

Who the hell is WILDpack, anyway? No force I am familiar with...

As they entered Illustra, he noted that Morgan was not alive in this timeline either. He had affection for his OWN Morgan and felt a pang of loss, but after meeting Darkchilde, Mike was not totally unhappy that he would not have the pleasure of meeting her here...he did not need another nigh omnipotent surprise.

He stood to Haleigh's left as Delilah asked her to give them a clear path upstairs...
 
Nicolas hurried along to Illustra, not taking full heed of the devastation. He had unfortunately seen all too often what pissed off metahumans could do. He was still thinking of how DC had no family left, and of how, for whatever reason, he was blowing his chance at HIS. He resolved a few things to himslef as he as they got to Illustra. Nicolas entered with the others, standing a bit behind them as he waited for Haleigh to do her thing...
 
'[as they approached the entrance to Illustra]Alright Nic.... let our presence be known now... at this point it's better."

She said, and as he complied, Haleigh approached the Clandestine sentry at the front doors, shaking his hand and nodding. She considered asking him a question or two... but that would only make him supicious of her identity... and they would find out soon enough. Haleigh ushered the others through the door, explaining to the CI guards that Nicolas and Mike were friends. Once in the lobby, Haleigh cued the express elevator to come down for them, and she began mental manipulating the computers to stand down while they passed and then rearm once they'd gone on to the next area. they would all notice the black ribbon on Morgan's picture.... a quiet reminder of her death. Haleigh put away memories of that night.... memories of her failure to save Morgan. She instead busied herself with updating the others on the current alternate team roster.

"Alycia is still closely working with the Six... her office is still on the 99th floor. [pointing to Delilah]Your alternate lives in Morgan's penthouse. Blaze is still with the team. [quietly]Cameron isn't."

The elevator dinged and Haleigh urged her comrades to board, then stepped on last herself and arranged it to take them to the hidden floor that separated the residences from the rest of the building: the armoured, fortified 'War Room' floor. It housed the computer mainframe and control bay for Illustra's security features, several conference rooms, an armory, the training gym [and the place were the Danger Room would be eventually], and an even MORE secure 'Panic Room', which was safer than a nuclear bomb shelter.
 
Inside of Illustra

<< safely inside of Illustra, all they had to greet them was the eerie silence, the muffled echoes of the activity outside and the cool air and darkness. no one was about...no one at all. not even on the residential floors.>>


<< as they arrived on the war room floor, various wall panels and other areas emmited soft, red pulsating light. an indicator that the building had been placed on red alert. at this point the building seemed to be more technologically enhanced, in keeping with Haleigh and Alison's descision to shift the defense of the building after Morgan and Sharon's deaths.>>

<< in the nucleus of the war room, there were only 4 seats at the conference table. the others were now stripped of personal equipment and flat panel computers, all access to Illustra was removed from those spots as well. a security procaution taken during a time when the team was at a most vulnerable state.>>

<< Morgan had died trying to protect Sharon, Alexis had betrayed her team and Malice was GUNNING for the Six like never before...but this time, there were some key differences.>>

<< after determining that the bldg was empty, even the personal pets of the team were gone, Haleigh was able to bring up the last known footage of any one present.>>

<< in Morgan's penthouse...she would see BLAZE calling for Ororo, beseeching her to evacuate Alycia, Zach and the innocent animals ...including Morgan's familiar, Tinker and the baby white kitten. But HALEIGH rememberd in her on timeline that it was KAREN who cast a SPELL to send them to Limbo. Karen was not in this footage. after that moment, the tapes played nothing...just the rooms and various views from the building...but there was ONE camera that had gone offline. the camera was in Alycia's office. Haleigh remembered in her own timeline that Alycia had OFTEN disabled the cameras and JAMMED listening devices, either to spite Haleigh or to protect her own privacy. Could she have done it one last time here? >>


<< there was still no indication of Alison or any other cross time alternate registering anywhere nearby. but there was an anamoly on Alycia's floor.>>

<< it was impossible to scan clearly via telepathy and the cameras on that floor were now DESTROYED. they'd have to go investigate personally.>>

<< one thing that was clear though. they were in Illustra at some point AFTER the team had gotten CAPTURED by Malice and Blackout in the mainstream timeline. Karen and Blaze had sent Alycia, Zach and the animals to the saftey of Limbo before going for a rescue attempt at the Citadle. Haleigh and Delilah remembered the outcome of that and the signs around them outside certainly indicated that they were in this timeline sometime AFTER that battle...but still...there was not enough to go on...not yet.>>
 
Haleigh was first out of the elevator, leading the way with a confident, quick stride. This was more her part of Illustra, as the lower floors had always been Morgan's.... and even in an alternate reality, Haleigh felt her own 'presence' influencing this place.

She brought up footage of last known activity.... it was Blaze asking Ororo to take Zach, Alycia, and the animals to safety. If it pained Haleigh to see Zach standing there, cradling the large puppy that had once been the bearer of her engagement ring..... she didn't let it show. Her expression remained stoic, mentally she registered it, but she was getting BETTER at hiding her reaction from Nicolas by disguising it in binary code. Instead, she focused on Blaze.

"That's strange.... where's Karen??"

She asked aloud, as the footage ended. She cycled through all the cameras.... there was nothing, no one..... but there was one camera that was broken... in Alycia's office.

of course... she ALWAYS tried to circument my security measures... for no goddamn reason either.... JUST to PISS me OFF.

She thought, with a soft smirk, shaking her head slowly. Haleigh manifested a handgun, pulled the slide back to load the chamber, and pivoted to face the group.

"Evidently our Alternates[Haleigh and Delilah] have been captured by Malice and Blackout, Blaze went to rescue them, and the ensuing battle took place. This could mean a range of things.... that our alternates survived, and did as WE did.... went to Limbo to recover... or.... given that the most significant difference so far is that Karen wasn't present with Blaze in our surveillance tapes... it's possible some or all of our alternates died. Since there's no one around here to ask... it's anybody's guess. However.... I AM registering some conflicting readings coming from the 99th floor... the camera's disabled and i can't get it back online which means it must be damaged beyond immediate repair. I say we go downstairs to check it out... unless someone's got a better idea."
 
Nicolas was scanning for hidden dangers as they entered the war Room. he widened his scan as Haleigh worked with the cameras, looking for mental signs. he was getting nothing but one two things struck him as he scanned. As Haleigh played the last tape she could get of Ororo being asked by Blaze to take the animals and Zach to limbo, Nicolas got a funny change from audible thought to binary code from Haleigh. Unusual, but he shrugged it off (having some idea why she did it) and focused on the second thing he noticed. He could not get a clear read of the 99th floor. He wasn't sure why, or what was going on, so when Haleigh made her suggestion. He answered her.

How about you and me go check out the 99th, and Mike and Delilah can monitor things from here. This room is a strategic advantage that seems too good to give up.
 
Mike moved perfectly silently to the War Room. As Haleigh fiddled with the cameras, he checked and reloaded his weapons, putting back on the headpiece and goggles and enabling the heads-up display. He could not read anything and decided to watch the monitors for movement when Haleigh suggested moving on the 99th floor. Nicolas suggested to split, and he hated the idea not because it was unsound, but because he did not want to be near Delilah right now, the displeasure momentarily contorting his face.

I don't know. Maybe we should stick together...
 
Nicolas suggested splitting up... and Haleigh nodded.... the idea actually served more than ONE immediate purpose. Mike disagreed, and judging by the way he shifted his eyes to Delilah, Haleigh could guess why he wasn't all for the split arrangement. Haleigh stepped forward, playing the 'leader' card outright.

"No, Mike.... Nicolas is right. We'll split up. You two can keep an eye on us, we can still communicate through the intercom system and if anything goes wrong, Delilah can immediately wormhole you to our side for help. I'll set up a video feed from my sight. You'll see what I see, in case any MORE of Illustra's cameras fail. Besides.... Nicolas and I have something we need to discuss privately.... [making eye contact with Delilah] I'm sure you two can find something to talk about in the downtime."

A silent, subtle hint that Delilah could use THIS time to retract some slightly harsh previous statements. Haleigh beckoned Nicolas to follow her quickly, before there could be any more protest.... the others had been asking her all day long what to do now, what to do next, and if they didn't like the call she was making NOW.... that was just too damn bad. As she and Nicolas left the War room and headed for the elevator, Haleigh waited for the door to shut behind them before silencing the microphones in range [for momentary privacy] and speaking again to Nicolas.

"I think I'd just like to say it and get it over with, Nic.... we hardly had time to breathe before but now that we're alone.... [pausing as they get in the elevator, pushing the button for the 99th floor, turning to finally look him in the eye] I'd just like to make sure we're on the same page. There's a line, Nic.... and there's plenty of REASONS we don't cross it, plenty of reasons that we keep space between us. MY reasons are plain and simple, and they're never gonna change. I care about Morgan, I don't want her to get hurt. And also.... I've been that girl. That girl who thinks she's got a GOOD man... a faithful man. That girl who finds out all too LATE... that her man isn't what she thinks. and I won't do that to Morgan... I wont be part of that. I won't be the catalyst. Now... I don't know why exactly YOU don't cross the line... I'd like to think it's because you ARE a faithful man... or because you love her. Whatever it is that stalls you... I want you to hang on to it... because despite the sexual tension... no matter how strong the temptation, we both have to remember that once we act on it... there's NO going back. We got REAL close to the point of no return back there in XS, Nic... a little TOO close. I'm not blaming YOU... we were BOTH pushing the limit... [small laugh] maybe next time I suggest pretending to be couples, I'll grab DELILAH'S hand. It'd be WAY less complicated."
 
Nicolas noted Mike's hesitancy at the plan offered, and he also noted WHY, but he did not object when Haleigh insisted. It was for the best in the end that the air was cleared a bit. He had an idea what Haleigh wanted to discuss, he hoped, but he waited until she turned and spoke to him. As she spoke, he looked at her, listened to her, took it all in. After she finished, he placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke to her, his voice thoughtful and halting as he chose his words carefully.

Haleigh, we ARE definitely agreed on this, but it is important to me for you to know the reasons. Just hear me out.

Haleigh, you are beautiful, and you are exactly correct about the tension between us. It is there. It has ALWAYS been there, once we got beyond initial issues. In another time and place..who knows...maybe we COULD have been wonderful. But we cannot, of course.

First of all, I LOVE MORGAN. I DO. It is not about possession of her or her looks or any of that stuff. It is how she makes me feel and how I feel we are so connected in many ways. My problem with the first timeline we went into was primarily that I cannot fathom harming Morgan feeling about her as I do now, even if she would not have me. I could not betray her trust. But also...

I LOVE YOU also, Haleigh. As one of the finest friends I have ever had. When I think about where we came from in our relationship, I am amazed. As I look at my situation right now, one of the things that keeps me going is knowing in my heart that you care, that you BELIEVE in me. Lord knows no one else seems to. I cannot imagine RISKING what we have <<points to himself and Haleigh>> for that which I may at times be ...curious <<gestures at her body in a sweeping motion>>.

So we understand clearly where we are. In the end, even though we got closer than we have been back there, I will always respect my relationship with Morgan and my friendship with you. Oh, and DO grab Delilah's hand PLEASE. Maybe THAT will get her off MY ass, and I would rather kiss MIKE that put up with her right now. Now, if you don't mind, say something ridiculous so we can get this behind us, OK?
 
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Mike stiffened slightly as Haleigh asserted herself. He silently nodded and immediately went to the panel to monitor for any changes as the pair of metahumans left. He said nothing to Delilah, although he was also not rude to her. he simply went about his tasks as asked....
 
Delilah followed Haleigh past the Clandestine guards and up to the War Room. The place was eerily empty once they left the business floors of Illustra. She didn't know what to expect when they arrived - armed WILDPack soldiers or Alison TKing desks at them. They stepped off the elevator to see...nothing. The floor was deserted.

Haleigh tried to get them some info on the situation at hand, but it was of minimal use. They needed to talk to someone to really get the lay of the land. But she was disturbed that there seemed to be no trace of Karen. Had something happened to her in this timeline?

There was an anomaly, and that was the 99th floor. Haleigh manifested a weapon and readied to go check it out. Delilah was ready to go as well, but then Nicolas suggested she stay behind. She didn't argue, because Haleigh agreed and she was in the best position to run the show. But she didn't like being left there to do nothing.

Haleigh expected her to apologize to Mike, but the truth was, she had told the truth. He WAS a liability - nothing more than Nicolas' valet and yes man. And both he and Nicolas needed to treat her with a little more respect as a person. Because she wasn't there for their amusement and she didn't deserve to have to sit there and listen to them make cracks about her.

She sat half on a desk watching and waiting for Haleigh's footage to come online.
 
coming closer

<< one thing about the empty Illustra, it gave them all time to think, time to process all they'd experienced in the last two timelines just a little more. Nicolas seemed to be learning, Haleigh was raffirming her position and Delilah was more calm and collected. Mike was even finding more of a voice, having bravely stood up to Darkchilde in defense of his long time friend. The fact that he, or ANY of them were still alive was a testament to the heart hidden beneath armour and ICE that Darkchilde was known for. they all seemed to know they had to JUSTIFY her faith in them to carry on and rescue HER (and Their) Persephone and their Alison.>>

<< Delilah and Mike stayed behind in the War Room. From all accounts, This was at the time Delilah had FIRST become a fulltime member of the Six, instead of being a long time ally and reservist like she'd always been before...but the lack of people was more than a little cause for concern.>>

<< as Haleigh and Nicolas finally arrived on the 99th floor...they were startled by the presence of BIRDS. most of them were quiet...and roosting, but a few were active and as the two mutants arrived, some fluttered up to the ceiling..>>

<< down the hall, alycia's office double doors were closed and Nicolas could sense thoughts...like STATIC...disjointed and chaotic. the last time he picked THIS up...was when Sharon Kelly came back from the dead as the SILVER SWAN.>>

<< the team MIGHT have someone on THEIR side AFTER all in this timeline... but there was no telling what they'd find behind those doors. from the floor cracks, white light could be seen...and the air seemed to be colder.>>


meanwhile....zoom across town, passing through various areas where destruction was more than others. and yet some buildings, places seemed totally unaffected. we reach a side of town that is quiet and cloaked in relative darkness. to the abandonned medical office building. that served as the FRONT from the underground CITADLE. the sprawling, underground nerve center that was once a main artery for MysTech during its prime. It had went into meltdown once before but its foundation and core components still survived and now was serving as a hide out for an unlikely trio of women.

<< three women sat, enshrouded in shadow. all three women sit with poise and posture, as the looked at various monitors in a "control room of sorts. they were waiting for someone to arrive. a young woman who had once been apart of the Six in this timeline as she'd been in mainstream...but as she did in mainstream, she BETRAYED her team and went from being Shockwave to BLACKOUT. She was still ALIVE in this timeline. yet ANOTHER key difference.>>
 
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